Tea-balling machine



NOV.. 25, v

` J. PIERCE TEA vBALLING MACHINE Filednec. 1, 1922 3 sheets-shut. 1

'UJI

Nov. 25,1924.

J. PIERCE 'TEA BALLING MACHINE Filed Doc. l. 1'922 3 Shoots-Shut 2 Nav. vz5, 1924. i i 1,516,497

A .11. PIERCE TEA BALLING MACHINE Filed Dec. l, 1922 3 Sheets-ShadI 5 Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEl JOHN PIERCE, OF SOUTHBURY, CONNECTICUT.

TEA-Baume MACHINE.

'Appncauon nea December 1, 1922. seriai Nb. 604,242.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Southbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tea-Balling Machines; and I do hereby4 declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

v Fig. 5 a broken plan view of the oblong die.

Fig. 6 a View in side elevation of one of the tea-balls produced by the operation of my improved machine.

Fig. 7 an edge view thereof.

My invention relates to an improvement in tea-balling machines, as machines for measuring and confining small, predetermined measures of tea 1n gauze bags are -called, the object o f my present invention being to produce a slmple, convenient, easilyoperated and accurate machine having a large capacity for work, and constructed with particular reference to creating from a seamless piece of gauze a bag and filling it with a predetermined quantity of tea in two, closely-related, successive operations without intermediate handling, whereby teaballs of uniform size and form may be rapidly produced without wasting any tea.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a tea-balling machine characten ized by having a die, a tubular bag-forming hollow plunger co-operating therewith, and means for feeding a measured amount of tea into a bagformed within the die before the withdrawal of the hollow plunger therefrom.

My invention further consists 1n a machine characterized as above and having further details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter'described and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, as herein shown, I employ a hopper 10 haviing a hinged cover 11 and hung by its lower rear corners upon studs 12 upon the upper portion of the machine-frame 13, whereby the hopper may be tilted backward for the convenient removal of any tea which it may contain when it is desired to change the quality or type of tea being balled. The said hopper '10 is formed with a rounded, trough-shaped bottom 14 extending from front to rear and containing in its lower portion a screw-conveyor 15 mounted on a shaft 16, the forward end of which is journaled in a bearing 17 at the lower end of a bracket 18 secured to the front face of the hopper. The rear end of the shaft' 16 mounts a sprocket-wheel 19 carrying a sprocket-chain 20, by means of which the screw-conveyor 15 is intermittently driven for discharging the tea through an opening 21 in the forward end of the trough-shaped bottom 14 of the hopper, into a funnel 22 supported by a bracket 23 secured to the machine-frame 13. The said funnelvis located directly over a measuringcup 24 removably secured by a screw 25, or other suitable means, to a feeding-arm 26 swinging in the vertical plane through an arc of substantially 90, the said arm being hung on a pivot 27 in a bracket 28 located within a funnel-shaped overflow pan 29 and secured to a bridge-piece 30, located, for the most part, within the said pan. The opposite ends of the said bridge are fastened to portions of the machine-frame 13. The cup 24 is adapted in size to contain, when brimming full, the predetermined amount of tea to be balled, and, on account of its removable attachment to the arm 26, may be exchanged with other cups of different capacities as desired. This gravity method of feeding and measuring the tea, with provision for recovering the excess amount fed each time to the cup, I find secures great accuracy with the minimum breakage or powdering of the tea leaves. The overflow pan 29 is furnishedfwith a discharge-pipe 29, below which a receptacle (not shown) to receive the overflow is set.

For swinging the feeding-arm 26 from the horizontal tea-receiving position in which the cup is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to the tea-discharging position, in which the cup is shownl in Fig. 3, the said arm is formed with a longitudinal slot 31 receiving a pin 32 lin the end of a lever 33 mounted upon a horizontal rock-shaft 34 journaled at its ends in bearings 35 secured to the machine-frame. The said shaft is provided near one of its ends with a depending lever 36 carrying a pin 37 coacting with a notch 38 in the lower edge of a horizontally-movable latch 39, the inner end of which is attached by a pivot 40 at ,onel corner to a vertically-arranged plate-like bell-cranklever 41 hung on a pivot 42 in a bracket 43 secured to the machine frame. The lever 41 is operated by a vertically-arranged link 44, the upper end ofwhich is attached to it by a pin 45 and the lower end of which is loosely connected by a headed stud 46 with the right-hand arm of a horizontal lever 47 mounted upon and operated by a rock-Shaft 48 located below the table 49 of the machine-frame, extending from front to rear and mounted at its ends in bearings 50. At its forward end the shaft is provided with an operating-handle 51, while its rear end has rigidly secured to it a short lever 52 carrying a pawl 53 coacting with a ratchetwheel 54 secured to the hub 55 of a large sprocket-wheel 56 turning loosely upon the extreme rear end of the shaft 48 and receiving the lower end of the sprocket-chain 20 running over the sprocket-wheel 19 as aforesaid.

The tea-measuring cup 24 is normally held in its tea-receiving position under the funnel 22, by means of a spring 57 secured at one end to the shaft 34 and at its opposite end to the machine-frame. The shock of checking the return movement of the cup into its tea-receiving position, is taken by a buffer 58 mounted upon the bridge-piece 30, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

To provide for releasing the tea-measuring cup 24 immediately after it has discharged yits brimming measure of tea into the hood 59 at the upper end of the hollow plunger 60, I employ a trippinglever 61, carrying at its forward end la tripping pin 62 coacting with the lower edge of the latch 39, the rear end of the said lever 61 being secured by a stud 62a to the plate- Y like bell-crank-lever 41 and having a segmental slot 63 receiving a screw 64, by means of which the releasing of the latch 39 and hence the arm 26 to the action ofthe spring 57, is timed by raising or lowering the said lever 61 upon the lever 41. p

The hollow plunger 60 is mounted in a tubular bearing 65 carried bythe machineframe 13 and provided with an adjustable clip 66' coupled by complementary links 67 to the complementary side-bars of a skeleton lever 68 rocking on a pivot 69 on the machine-frame, the forward ends of the said bars being united by a spacing-bolt 70 positioned to engage with a buffer 71 mounted on a bracket 72 adjustably secured to a post 7 3 rising from the table 49 of the machine-frame, whereby the downward movevment of the hollow plunger is limited and cushioned. The rear end of the skeleton lever 68 is connected by a' link 74 with the left-hand end rof the lever 47 aforesaid, whereby, when the handle 51 is lifted, the plunger 60 is depressed sol as to enter an oblong die 75, mounted upon the forward edge ofthe table 49, and containing a resilient block or cushion 76 arranged transversely in the said die, as shown in Fig. 5, whereby dust-passages 77, 77 are formed on eitherv side of the cushion or block for the reception and discharge of any tea-dust which may filterthrough the gauze 78 from which the tea-balls 79 are fashioned. The said dust-passages'register with dischargepassages 80 formed in the table 49.

To regulate the size and hence the capacity of the tea-balls produced, I employ an adjusting-screw 81 mounted in the table 49l beneath; the block 76, for vertically adjusting the .same in the die 75.

By slitting the lower end of the plunger and expanding it in opposite directions to form outwardly curved concavo-convvX lingers 82 (Figs. 2 and 3), the lower end of the plunger is given an oblong form to correspond to the oblong form of the die, whereby tea-balls of oblong, rather than spherical, shape are produced. By slitting and shaping the lower end of the plunger as described, the same is prevented from lifting the tea as it is withdrawn from the die, due to suction, friction or causes tending to prevent the tea from freely clearing itself from the plunger. As shown, the lower end of thel plunger is also provided with a bagformer 83 located at one side between the flaring fingers 82, but the use of this part is not imperative. A clearance cut 84 is located, as shown, opposite the said bagformer 83 and between the lingers 82 on the opposite edges thereof from the said bagformer. v

Gauze 78 of the required width is supplied from a roll 85 mounted in a' bracket 86 and located near the right-hand edge of the table 49.

The tea-ball 7 9 (Figs. 6 and 7), produced lby the machine, is characterized by having no seam, its gathered mouth being closed by a hand-tied string 87, preferably carrying, at its outer end, a tag 88 constituting a label.

In the operation of my improved teaballing machine, the operator draws the end of the roll of gauze over thetop of the oblong die 75, after which the handle 51 is lifted, causing the expanded lower end of bottom of the die 75, carrying with it the central portioniof the gauze which now surrounds the lower end of the plunger in the form of an oblong cup with a. flat bottom. As the gauze is thus folded, its edges rise and surround that portion o'f, the plunger just above-the upper face of the die, substantially as shown in Fig. 3, subject, of

course, to the drag of the gauze where still unsevered from the roll. As the plunger descends, the tea-measuring cup 24 is swiftly lifted by the pull of the latch 39 from4 its tea-rece1ving to its tea-discharging position, so that 'by the time the plunger has reached the bottom of the die, the cup has discharged its measure of tea into the hood 59, from which it falls downward through the hollow plunger into the bottom of the die and, therefore, into the gauze bag therein. It will be understood that this movement of the cup 24 with the arm 26 is snappy enough to cause the tea to be` Hung or projected from the -cup 24 into the hood 59. At the conclusion of the llifting movement of the handle 51, the'tripping lever 61 act-s through its pin 62to lift `the latch 39, so as to clear the pin 37 and permit the spring 57 to act in restoring the cup 24 to its tea-receiving position. The operator now clips the gauze at a point close to the plunger by means 'of a pair of scissors andloops a piece of-string around the puckered upsta-nding mouth of the bag, which is, at this time, conveniently sustained for this operation by the plunger. The handle is now depressed, with the effect of concurrently, or substantially concurrently, lifting the plunger out 4 of the die, operating the conveyor 15 to feed more tea into the funnel 22 and hence into the cup 24, yand advancing the latch 39 fer its re-en'gagement with the pin 37 of the lever 36 connected through the shaft 34 with the arm v26vcarrying the cup 24. The top of the gauze bag is now tied by drawing the string 87 taut, the tag 88 is attached to the string and the edges ,of the bag trimmed, after whichthe bag is removed from the die, for the repetition of the cycle of operations above described.

, It is apparent that in carrying out my invention, changes may be made in the details of the machine herein shown, my invention consisting broadly in amachine characterized by a hollow plunger forming a bag in a die and holding the bag expanded in the die until after it has received a predetermined measure of tea, after which the plunger is withdrawn from the die. i

I claim: 1. A`tea-ba1ling machine, having a die, a hollow plunger therefor, and means for feeding predetermined' quantities of tea through the plunger into a gauze bag formed by the previous entrance of the' plunger into the die, the bag-forming end of the ,plunger being flared to prevent the withdrawal of the tea from the gauze bag at the time of its retraction therefrom and .from the die.

2. A tea-balling machine, having'an oblong die, a hollow plunger therefor, and means for feeding predetermined quantities of tea through the plunger into a gauze bag formed by the previous entrance of the plunger into( the die, the bag-forming end of the plunger being flared to prevent the withdrawal of the tea from the gauze bag at the time of its retraction therefrom and from the die.

3. A tea-balling machine, having an oblong die, a hollow plunger therefor split and flared to prevent the withdrawal of the tea from the gauze bag at the time of the retraction of the plunger therefrom and from. the die, and means for feeding predetermined quantities of tea through the plunger into a gauze bag formed by the previous entrance of the plunger into 'the die.

l4. A tea-balling machine, having an oblong die, a hollow plunger therefor, the lower end of which is split to form two oppositely-located, outwardly-curved, concavoconvex fingers, and means for feeding predetermined quantities of tea through the plunger into a gauze bag formed by the previous entrance of the plunger into the die whereby the tea is prevented from being withdrawn from the gauze bag when the plunger is retracted therefrom and from the, die.

5. A tea-balling machine, having an oblong die, a hollow plunger therefor having at its lower end two oppositely-located, outwardly-curved, concavo-convex fingers, and a bag-former located between the said tingers, and means for feeding predetermined quantities of tea through the plunger into a gauze bag formed by the previous entrance of the plunger into the die whereby the tea is prevented from being withdrawn from the gauze bag when the plunger is retracted therefrom and from the die.

6. In a tea-hailing machine, the combinaf predetermined quantities of tea through the plunger into a gauze bag formed by the enfor vertically' adjusting the cushion in the; die for predetermining the size and capacity of the gauze bag.

8. In a tea-balli'ng machine, the combinatrance of the plunger into the die. and means .and clearance passages for the escape of tea-dust falling yinto they die.

v 9. In a tea-ballingmaehina the combina vtion with an oblong die, of a cushion located therein with a clearance-space betweenwitI and the side'of the'dieya'passage located in the bottom of thel die fondiseharging tea? dust falling into the said'clearance-space,a' hollow plunger for the die, and means for feeding predeterminedI 'qi'iantitiesv of tea through the plunger into a gauzeibag'formedv by the 'entrance of the plunger into the=die1f l0. In-a tea-balling machine,"the l"combination with a bag-forming die, a hollow plunger, means forv -feeding vpre'determined' measures of tea into the upper end of the plunger,'and timing means whereby a meas ure of tea is fed into the plunger while thel same is holding a gauze bag expanded -in the die.- the said plunger having its bag-forming end flared to' prevent the withdrawal of the tea from the bag when the plunger is retraeted therefrom and from the die.

11. In a tea-balling machine, the combination with a hopper, of means for feeding tea therefrom, a measuring-cup positioned to be filled by gravity to overflowing from the hopper, means for salvaging any tea overflowing from the said measuring-cup, a die in which a gauze bag is formed, a hollow plunger entering the said die, means for movingy 'vaOr-inef van tea-'everflowin -from the said measuringcup,l a die, a cushion located therein; a'vhollow plunger'eoaoting with the said'dieand .cushion to produce a gauze bag into `which the-tea is introduced while the bag is held open by the plungennieans for moving. the-1 said `measuring#cup from .p its tea-receiving .position'into position to dis*y chargeits lcontents into the upper end of the plunger, and timing means, whereby the said cup discharges its measure of tea into the JOI-IN PIERCE, Witnesses: Y'

WVM J. I-Irnnron, STEPHEN E. ROCKWELL., 

